Salad days

The heat continues. It’s hot & sticky. The worst was on Monday night in Manchester. At least, living by the sea as here, there is the occasional sea breeze to move the air around. In Manchester there is just stuffiness.

 

We haven’t bothered to cook since we’ve been home. Instead we’ve turned to salads. On Tuesday we had a tuna one with some rather tired ingredients. The Chinese leaves were rather limp, the tomatoes over-ripe, the cucumber had lost its crunch. Only the bread was fresh.

 

Yesterday, when we did the shopping we got some fresh ham, along with fresh tomatoes & cucumber. We enjoyed the salad more. I would go so far as to say for a good salad, the freshness of ingredients is essential unless it is one using tinned/jarred/frozen ingredients. We do enjoy a Tuna & Cannellini/Kidney Bean Salad from time to time.

 

So today what’s to eat? Last night thunder rolled, lightning flashed. Despite that, I heard no rain fall & certainly the garden is damp rather than wet this morning. There is some freshness but I suspect it won’t last. I suspect I will do as yesterday. Later on, if it is as hot & sticky as I suspect it will become, I’ll get some eggs out of the fridge to boil. This afternoon we’ll pop to the fish shop & buy some smoked mackerel to accompany yet another salad. If the weather breaks, as they keep predicting it will, then I will make a quick curry in the evening – something that will take little more than the time it takes to cook the accompanying rice.

 

I look forward to proper cooking again. But in this heat I neither fancy cooking, and heating up the house in the process, nor even eating hot food. We’ll just have to play it by ear as the days go on.